Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Domate Piramida 🌍 Origin: A rare Eastern European / Balkan heirloom. The name “Domate Piramida” suggests Bulgarian origins (“Domate” means Tomato in Bulgarian, and “Piramida” means Pyramid). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A tall, vigorous plant that grows extremely well in a greenhouse environment. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Long, red, elongated “icicle” or … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dyadya Stepa (Uncle Stepa) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial variety. It is famously named after “Uncle Stepa”, an extremely tall, lanky, good-natured policeman from a classic Soviet children’s poem. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-late season. The plant has a thin, vine-like, spindly stem and weeping foliage. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: The … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Detskaya Sladost (Children’s Sweetness) 🌍 Origin: Сommercial variety from the “Gavrish” seed company. The name translates to “Children’s Sweetness”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact bush growing about 20-24 inches (50-60 cm) tall. Suitable for open ground or container growing. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright red, firm, egg-shaped/oval tomatoes weighing 3.5-4.2 oz (100-120 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dyuiymovochka (Thumbelina) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety famously released by the “Poisk” seed company. The name translates to “Thumbelina” (the tiny fairy tale character). ⚠️ The Great Mix-Up: If you buy or trade seeds for this variety, be aware that there are two completely different strains circulating under this name … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Delta 264 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety bred by the Central Siberian Botanical Garden and officially added to the Russian State Register in 1995. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Described officially as semi-spreading with medium foliage. Performs best in a greenhouse environment. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Smooth, glossy, firm red fruits. There … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Druzhba (Friendship) 🌍 Origin: A widely loved Eastern European heirloom. The word “Druzhba” translates to “Friendship”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. When grown outdoors in open ground, it typically reaches about 5.2-5.5 feet (1.6-1.7 m) in height. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, red beefsteaks that are round but slightly oblate (flattened) with mild … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao Tsarskiy Krasnyi (Royal Red De Barao) 🌍 Origin: An upgraded, premium offshoot of the famous Russian De Barao family. “Tsarskiy” translates to “Royal” or “Tsar’s”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, vigorous, aggressive climber (vine-like). Can easily reach 10 feet (3 m) in a greenhouse. Best grown in a greenhouse, as … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao Gigant (Giant De Barao) 🌍 Origin: A large-fruited mutation/selection from the legendary Russian “De Barao” family of workhorse canning tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Incredibly vigorous, massive plants that easily exceed 6.5 feet (2 m) even when grown outdoors. Requires strong staking and support. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large plum/oval … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dusya Krasnaya (Red Dusya) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety, famously sold by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially listed as a mid-sized plant (3-5 feet), but many growers report it behaving like a sturdy tree-type dwarf or semi-determinate, often staying under 3-4 feet when grown outdoors. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Denezhnyi Meshok (Money Bag) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety. The name translates directly to “Money Bag,” hinting at its supposed high yield and profitability. 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially listed as indeterminate, growing up to 6 feet (1.8 m) tall. However, forum members frequently report getting off-type seeds that grow into … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Demidov 🌍 Origin: A rugged, commercial Russian variety bred specifically for harsh, short-summer climates like Siberia and the Altai Mountains. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact tree-type dwarf (*shtambovyi* in Russian). It typically grows only 24-25 inches (60-64 cm) tall and requires absolutely no pruning or suckering. Excellent for container gardening or … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao (Red) 🌍 Origin: An absolute legend in the post-Soviet gardening world. Supposedly originally hailing from Brazil, it was introduced to the USSR in the 1990s and became a staple for millions of gardeners. This thread focuses on the classic Red version, though there are Black, Pink, and Yellow variants. … Read more